Corn is typically harvested utilizing combine harvesters equipped with specialized corn harvesting heads or headers. The headers can be designed to allow the harvester to harvest a particular number of rows of corn per pass. The corn is fed between tips and snouts of the head into an auger section of the head, the stalk being separated from the ear.
During some harvest years, some of the corn plants can become bent over or downed due to wind and or rain. Harvester heads are not designed or equipped to harvest downed corn. The downed corn can be missed by the harvester or can become trapped in the head, clogging the head. Current attachments designed to pick up downed corn can be ineffective, especially under conditions where a large percentage of the crop is down. It would be desirable to develop systems and methods for harvesting downed corn.